Time for another review! This time though, @Timothy M. is going to introduce today's review. Here's what Timothy has to say: 

In memory of Wayne, aka comicfan, the review team has decided to re-feature @Puppilull's review from 2019. Wayne was not only our Prompt guru, he wrote many short stories, and several multi-chapter tales too. The one reviewed below is among his most popular, together with Accidents Happen.

The Strange Life of Jonas Marks 

comicfan

Reviewer: Puppilull
Starus: Complete
Word Count: 57,189

Some jobs require a bit more of you. Though I bet you’ve never had a job quite like the one Jonas Marks manages to snag for himself: assistant in the hub of an operation that traverses the entire universe and possibly quite a few other realms.

Jonas Marks’ quite ordinary life gets overturned when he is tossed out of his home by his father. Why? Oh, he happens to be gay and that is unacceptable to his useless excuse of a father. So, within days of graduating, our hero finds himself on the streets, with no home, no job and no way to support himself. Thankfully, he has a great friend who invites him to stay with her and her family.

Job hunting turns out to be difficult, but then he gets the chance he’s been waiting for. The name for his new place of work, the Fantasy Office in the fancy department store Kroger’s, should perhaps set off a few alarm bells. Adding to this, his new boss, Mr. Openseter, is somewhat scaly. However, no one else seems to notice.

However, beggars can’t be choosers. Reassured by the fact that the rest of the staff seem to accept Openseter’s unusual appearance, Jonas rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. He gets busy fulfilling other people’s fantasies and desires for rare items as well as unusual partners, one more magical than the next. Many items are things I certainly wished were real. A bowl automatically filling with pudding or a ring that takes you where you want to go? A talking sword…? Or the most coveted by us readers – a fantastic cleaning device.

This story can at times come across as an acid dream, but just as you think it’s going too far and your suspension of disbelief is threatening to rip at the seams, comicfan reigns us back in and puts a relatable and quite down to earth spin on events once more. He captures Jonas’ feelings of loneliness and insecurity but also shows us how he is surrounded by people who care for him and love him. Being mistreated by his father has given Jonas the ability to remain open and not judge. Maybe that’s why he can see all people and creatures for who they are and not be misled by appearance or misdirection. A capability that comes in handy when he meets his more exotic clients. Also, something worth thinking about after reading. How prepared are you to look past the exterior of others?

Of course, there is a love story snuck into this wonderful weirdness. But I’ll let you all discover that little gem all on your own. I promise you won’t feel blue about it. Or well, when I think about it…

Category: Fiction  Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi  Tags:  young adult, aliens, magic, gay, alternate earth, friendship  Rating: Everyone